#ftva

BUT I SWEAR I'M ON TO SOMETHING

Rick needs an internship so Ivan sets him up with an accountant consultant he is fond of.

I think this is such an interesting take on the mythology. Vampires can live forever and have no built in expiration date. It can be a terribly lonely life, and with other parahumans either dying of old age or having an instinctual fear and mistrust in them, they rarely choose to befriend a vampire.

However, all vampires start out human and crave acceptance and belonging. So, in moments of what they might perceive as weakness, they come to know and become fond of a human.

A vampire's world is inherently dangerous to humans and they're on the brink of death, the vampire desperately attempts to turn the human to save it's life. They do vaguely remember how they were turned, maybe it'll work...

It fails.

Filled with rage and grief, they don't understand what went wrong. They were familiar enough with vampire mythology. Why didn't it work??

they lash out at the world. First their humanity was ripped away from them, and now, the first person to ever chase the loneliness away is dead. With a bone deep depression, they wander endlessly, waiting for death, but never pursuing it directly. And maybe this time it will stick.

The world was small back then, and it doesn't take long word of this transient to reach an up and coming vampire clan.

Searching for new members and more power, they quickly offer a position amongst their ranks, and with the promise of eternal companionship, the young vampire hastily accepted.

The afterlife becomes far tolerable then. The comaraderie, and slowly love and trust follow suit. They teach their newest member control over their hunger, how vampire society works, how to fight, which enemies to steer clear of, etc.

Slowly but surely, the vampire starts to heal. It might have taken decades, maybe even centuries. Time sure flies when you're immortal.

They return to late night strolls in the busy streets of their most recent hometown, and maybe gets to know the townsfolk. A rare safe haven for all parahumans, they finally get to mingle with other supernatural creatures, and starts new acquaintanceships which eventually evolve into friendships.

One day, they strike up a conversation with a lovely and powerful mage. A friendship develops, much to the amusement of the vampire's clan. Although not diswaded, they are warned to be careful.

The warning unheeded, the vampire falls fast and hard for mage's force of nature personality. The others vamps are hesitant, but unable look past how happy the mage makes the normally sullen vampire, they quickly succumb to their new friend's charm too.

The years pass by, and for the first time in far too many years, this vampire and mage couple are happy. The vampire is very aware of the mage's mortality, however still naïve enough to think they still have many years ahead of them, and needn't worry just yet.

One day, hunter comes to town, rumors of a powerful clan of vampires residing in a seemingly quiet town, ignorant of their presence.

After many weeks of planning, the hunter strikes by kidnapping the mage in hopes to lure out the vampire who was often seen with them.

Message fully received, the clan comes down on the hunter's hideout with full prejudice. The rade quietly supported by the townsfolk, whom were quite scared by the hunter clear lack of compassion and ethics.

However, the hunter was ready, and did not go down without a fight. In an attempt to protect the lovers the clan had grown to love so deeply, several unlives were lost to the human monster.

The mage, littered with torture-induced mortal injuries, would succumb to them if the vampire didn't do anything to stop it.

With rasping breaths, attempts to comfort the vampire, the mage asked to be turned, in full confidence it will work, even with the knowledge of the previous failed attempt to turn a loved one.

With guidance from a more experienced vampire, they are walked through how to turn the mage. With a few minutes before death would come, quick words of love are exchanged and promises only unexperienced vampires could make, they promised to see eachother on the other side, the mage asks the vampire to start to drink and start the process.

Nearly draining almost all of the measly blood left in the system, the vampire gets the mage to drink some of their blood to complete the transformation. The heart starts an unnatural rhythm, and the clock starts.

With the hunter dead and the mage secured in their lover's arms, the diminished numbers of the heavily weakened clan returns to their home.

Days pass, the unnatural heart rate continues unabated, the vampire never leaving the mage's side. The rest of the clan waits anxiously, quietly tending to their wounds.

The news travels quickly through the town, themselves waiting with bated breath for any news on the beloved mage's condition.

Meanwhile,the clan leader attempts to stall the political reprocuctions of the devastating loss of it's many strong vampire members. The news would spread to other vampire clans, many of which had been eyeing their territory with interest, due to the towns lax policy on vampires, and the positive reputation and trust the clan they had spent years developing with them.

Several more days pass, and mage's heart rate is growing quieter by the day. Desperate for help, the vampire contacts some of the mage's friends from the village, pleading for their blood, in hopes that it would kickstart the mage's system to complete the transformation.

Determined to do what they can, their friends agree and rush to the vampire's home, all offering a vile of blood.

A couple days later, the mage's heart stops, and they dont wake up.

The vampire refuses to leave their spot beside their lover, convinced they needed more time.

The smell of rotting flesh settles in before the vampire finally admits the mage succumbed the death.

The town mourns.

The vampires leave the night of the burial, unable to face the loved ones of the person they couldn't protect.

The vampire doesn't recover, the wounds ran far too deep.

Deciding to keep a low profile as they recovered, the clan chose a home in the forest in the outskirts of a massive city, unwilling to subject themselves to a tight-knit community any time soon.

They lived quietly, slowly bolstering their numbers again by the clan leader's perpetual habit of taking in abandoned vampires before they have the chance to become dangerous to humans.

The heartbroken vampire's recovery is slow and painful. Eventually, they take a more active role in helping settle their new members.

All things considered, they weren't all that experienced with vampire culture oustide of their clan, but the vamp still found it odd that the leader took in vampires he did not sire, almost all clans preferring to only have their offspring among their ranks.

One quiet night, as the younglings were taught combat, the now older and wiser vampire finally thought ta ask their leader why he recruited members they way he did.

The worst pains you can experience in our afterlife is the failed attempt to turn. Successful ones are far and few between, he explains, his expression solemn. Memories flashing through his eyes like a dying flame, details harder to see as the light grows dimmer.

Then why did you even let me try? Why give me the false hope, the vampire demanded.

In the heat of the moment, I don't think you would have listened anyway. Besides, I'd be quite the hypocrite if I did try to stop you. No matter how much we will try to avoid it, we all get attached at some point or another. It part of our after lives.